Radiation ‘hotspots’: legacy of British nuclear tests lingers on idyllic islands in Western Australia

Western Australia’s Montebello Islands: 70 years after the British atomic tests there are ‘slightly elevated radiation levels’ in the archipelago. Photograph: indianoceanimagery/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The white ocean sands of Western Australia’s Montebello Islands may appear inviting, but 70 years ago they were the site of Britain’s first nuclear tests.

Now researchers are working to uncover how much and what type of radioactive material persists in sediment on the ocean floor of the archipelago, made up of 265 low-lying islands and islets, 1,200km north of Perth. They hope to get a clearer idea of its effects on the area’s abundant marine life and any lingering dangers to people who visit the islands for tourism or fishing.